Weekly Update from Rep. Denham - September 27, 2013

I’ll be hosting a live tele-townhall meeting this Monday evening to share an important message with you regarding government funding and Washington’s spending problem. I will be available to take your questions and get your feedback on our spending crisis and any other issue you’d like to speak with me about. If you would like to participate in the tele-townhall, please click here to leave me your contact information.

As you may know, last Friday I voted to keep the government open through December 15, 2013. The funding bill I supported is a responsible solution that protects members of the military, seniors, veterans and local law enforcement officials. The Senate took up our bill this afternoon and returned it. I expect to vote this weekend on a new resolution to keep our government open and operating.

Most importantly, I will continue to work to reign in wasteful government inefficiency and end our out-of-control spending habits. Our current trajectory is unsustainable and irresponsible, and unless we adopt more restrained fiscal habits, we will continue to burden our children and grandchildren with our debt.

On Monday my Modesto office hosted Military Academy Information Night to provide high school students with information about the various military academies and how students can be nominated to attend. We hosted almost 200 students and parents at Joseph A. Gregori High School, and representatives from the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Army, Merchant Marines and Coast Guard shared details of each academy’s work educating, training and preparing students for military service. For more information about military academy nominations, please visit my website.

We hosted a great crowd of students and parents on Monday evening to learn more about military academies and the nomination process to attend.

Our Central Valley Job Fair was a huge success! My office worked in conjunction with the Stanislaus Economic Development & Workforce Alliance to host over 40 employers at Modesto Centre Plaza, from large corporations to small family run businesses. We required each employer to have available jobs to sign up in the hopes that more job-seekers would find jobs as a result of the fair. Brandman University hosted a series of employment workshops and a resume clinic to help 10th district residents prepare, and the day of the fair, we had a full house.

These job seekers lined up to enter the fair early on Wednesday morning. Over a thousand people came to connect with our employers.

The Central Valley’s unemployment rate decreased in August, which is great news. However, there are still too many without a job who want to work. Helping individuals find work is a primary goal of mine. That includes passing job creating legislation and holding events such as the Central Valley Job Fair.

With the goal of job creation in mind, I introduced the IRS Rulemaking Fairness Act this week with my colleague Rep. Mike Michaud. This bipartisan bill would add the IRS to the list of agencies required to ensure that any new regulation does not have a significant impact on small business owners. The legislation also includes language to clarify that the IRS’s rulemaking process must comply with existing regulatory review, allowing business owners to have a direct say in how the IRS impacts their business.

As a small business owner I know firsthand that time spent complying with federal regulations is time not spent on growing my business. Small business owners are the engine of progress across the country, and if we’re going to get the Central Valley economy moving again, this kind of legislation will be key. This is one way to help push burdensome federal regulation out of the way so that small business owners can do what they do best—strengthen local economies and create jobs.

Last week I introduced an amendment to expedite the removal of salvaged timber from lands affected by 2013 wildfires, including the Yosemite Rim Fire. Yesterday I joined with several colleagues also representing areas affected by the devastating fire to introduce a standalone bill. The new bill requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to expedite planning and implementation of salvage timber sales for lands within the lands impacted by the 2013 Rim Fire in California and suspends judicial review on salvage projects on the affected lands. If passed, this bill will help create jobs and increase revenues in communities across the state of California using the salvaged wood in construction and other projects.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you. Please continue to share your comments, concerns and questions with me – I work for you and I want to hear from you. To stay up to date with my work, please be sure to follow me on Twitter and Facebook or visit my website. You can also spread the word about our weekly newsletter.